Quilting Books

OH WOW! THE MINIATURE QUILTS AND THEIR MAKERS AT THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN QUILTER'S SOCIETY is organized by quilter and provides a full page color reproduction of the winning miniature quilt accompanied by an author biography.

I'm biased of course because my quilt is in this book. Miniature quilts can be no larger than 24x24" and every aspect of the quilt must be small. Most of the time it takes as long to make a miniature quilt as it does to make it's full size counterpart. There are many wonderful quilts featured in this book. One side of the page is about the quiltmaker, the facing page is a photo of the quilt. These are amazing little works of art, and you will be given some insight about how and why the quilts were made

ON-POINT QUILT: DESIGNS ON THE DIAGONAL provides a 45 degree twist on classic blocks, offering ten diagonally set quilt patterns with directions on how to calculate sizes for setting triangles and corners without math or tricky sewing demands. The color photo examples compliment an excellent collection of projects and patterns which any needlework library will find an attractive embellishment on the many traditional block books on the market.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

As quilters, we become accustom to making quilts in squares. This book will help you break that habit by turning the squares on point. What a different look an "old" square will have when it is set on point. And you get an added "extra". It will take less squares to make a quilt than if you set them "straight".

The trick with doing an on-point quilt is the setting triangles. Ms. Warehime does the math for you. All you have to do is follow her lead. She gives the square size needed to make the corner and side triangles in easy to follow steps. Making a quilt on point is no harder than doing it in a square. You simply assemble it row by row but instead of using all squares, you incorporate the corner and size triangles in the rows.

There are ten quilts and she also includes an overview of the basic quilting steps in case you are a new quilter or need to refresh your memory on a certain step. Each project has a full color photo of the finished quilt, along with a paragraph about it. The instructions include finished quilt and block size and a materials list needed to create the project.

A cutting list is found next in the instructions. Then the assembling steps come next which include graphics to help you visualize the written words. Top assembly and finishing suggestions complete the steps. There is a three paragraph bio about Ms. Warehime at the end of the book.

Why not try giving your old quilts a new look by setting them on point? You will be surprised at how different they will look set on point.

Grab this book for help in getting the needed triangles cut and then make several of the projects in the book as well.

While the projects involve time and effort, the end results are beautiful quilted wall hangings that depict the stories of our childhood. These are beautiful artist-quality products that you can recreate for your home. I found the instructions, patterns and illustrations to be very direct and informative.

This is a very hard book to find but it's worth the money. Bonnie Kaster is a master applique artist and has done a fine job with these patterns. I have over 200 quilting books and this one is still THE ONE I choose to show people. If you can't get the book, at least check out Bonnie's other patterns from Sweet Memories. They are equally as stunning.

I absolutely love this book. The patterns are beautiful and very unique. I am a beginner and I never thought that I could make quilts like these as my first projects! Jodie describes everything you need to know to make a quilt, in her delightful easygoing way, with words and drawings. This makes it very easy to follow the instructions. There are over 36 patterns of flowers, butterflies, birds and more. The patterns are very beautiful and the colors are fantastic. I love the pictures of the patterns and the quilts they really motivated me! I am sure that both beginners and advanced Quilters will enjoy this book as much as I have and have fun making the quilts. It may even inspire you to design your own quilt with these patterns. What a wonderful book, thank you Jodie!

The book contains patterns for 36 delightful blocks (nature oriented) - shown with full color pictures. Multi-piece patterns are ready to copy and work on because the seam allowance is already included, and the pieces are separated. Block size is clearly stated. The block directions consist of a color photo of the block, a written list of the joining sequence for the pieces, and an exploded view of the pattern. Very easy to follow, although, I would recommend SOME paper piecing experience before attempting curved seams, or multi-piece patterns.

At the end of the book are 8 amazing projects, with full color pictures, and very complete instructions with lots of drawings.
You'll have a hard time choosing where to start :).

All of the blocks except 2 (flower pot and picket fence) contain curved pieces. There is a learning curve to doing curved piecing (pun intended, lol), just as there was a learning curve to doing paper piecing. (I'm not very good at it yet, but I'm still trying, hehe). This book is about the technique of paper piecing curves, and thats what the projects include. If you are willing to learn a new technique and if you like nature designs, then I think you will enjoy this book and the projects it contains. I am absolutely thrilled with it, and I hope I can learn the technique well enough to do it justice.

This is one of my all-time favorite reference books. Jinny Beyer shows you how to take any block and break it into smaller units (4-patch, 9-patch, Mariner's Compass, etc). Instead of "copying" that pattern you admire in a quilt magazine (in the size THEY give you), you'll learn to enlarge or shrink it to the size YOU want! Every new quilter should learn to draft patterns...and many old quilters need a refresher's course. This book takes the mystery out of the math!

This book is not about presenting you with a series of pre-written pattern recipes so that you can make up a quilt without having to do the math. You are presented with a huge collection of beautifully illustrated patchwork blocks and instructions on how to use them to draft your own quilt pattern. Photographs of antique quilts and quilts made by Jinny Beyer are sprinkled throughout the book and will have you itching to get to a quilt shop so that you can get started on a new quilt!

It's been a long time since I've been on a picnic. I used to love them, and I'm not sure why we never go on them anymore. But this book is a visual picnic of quilts, foods, and color plates of antique cars and wildflowers and cello's and wild countryside with fine china and the soul of every fine picnic you have ever dreamed about. This volume is full of the kind of quilting projects I like best--practical and beautiful. There is a bee and bee hive quilt tablecloth to make for your patio and there are recipes for poached salmon and mango salsa to set on it. There's an Indian Summer quilt to spread on the ground beside your old black convertible to nibble on your sweet hazelnut pound cake. There's even a pastel dream house quilt to drag out to picnic at the building site of your new home. The book is a nice size and has full sized applique patterns and detailed color photos of quilts, accessories and country vegetation at it's peak. The directions and recipes are clear and there's a chapter at the end on quiltmaking basics. The best part of this book is that after browsing it for a lazy Saturday afternoon--it incited me to plan a picnic--maybe I'll make one of the fabric lined baskets and invite my husband to a ride in the country on his old silver wing. I've got a t-shirt quilt with dragon flies quilted on it and the dogwood and azealias are in bloom.

These new arrivals provide a wealth of projects for avid quilters and sewers. Suzette Halferty and Nancy Martin's Patchwork Picnic provides a blend of quilts and recipes for hosting picnics. From a 4th of July starred red, white and blue quilt to a blue willow pattern for a concert in the park, this pairs projects with holidays and food ideas.

Great little book at a very reasonable price. Photos very helpful in seeking out different colour perspectives....not only useful in my quilting but my photographer husband also took a glance at it.

A helpful illustration of mixing and matching colors,patterns and prints for quilting. Make a more dynamic quilt with the aid of this book. The book presents various color schemes and the effect of changing differnt fabrics in the block. A great addition to any crafters library.

I aleardy own several books with basic quilt patterns but after leafing through this one in the store, I had to have it. The colors are so beautiful. I am a big fan of the Jean Wells and Valori Wells and this book features many quilts using their fabrics and unique color style. The book also showcases some great techniques.

Now in a newly revised second edition, Patchwork Quilts Made Easy is a full-color, profusely illustrated quilting book filled with photographs, diagrams, and step-by-step cutting and assembly instructions for creating thirty-three different quilt projects. Written in a down-to-earth, friendly tone by quilting expert Jean Wells, Patchwork Quilts Made Easy is an excellent resource for avid quilters at all skill and experience levels from the aspiring novice to the seasoned needlecrafter.

Most of what is exciting here--the animals--is in Quilter's Ark, but it isn't the same. Foundation piecing directions sound like more trouble than the graphs, because.... I started quilting using her animal patterns--redrafting them (not hard) to teensy Christmas ornaments and eighteen-inch blocks for a wall-hanging.

Margaret Rolfe's Patchwork Quilts for Children, is excellent for those of any age. It includes patterns for a menagerie quilt (all sorts of zoo animals), a dinosaur quilt, ABCs, sheep -- mainly straight-line piecing, but some applique as well. Ms. Rolfe's directions are very clear and throrough, you won't need a basics book to go with this if it is your first quilting adventure. Experienced quilters can learn a lot from her descriptions as well. Highly recommended.

The projects in this book are just as the title says--whimsical. They are adorable and fun and, with just some patience, anyone can make any of them. That said, you have to enjoy applique or this book is not for you. You can do it anyway you wish and the results will make you smile. A good book for someone who likes applique and wants to smile while they work.

You just can't "lose" with Patrick Lose. His ideas and whimsy are always top-notch and I love his variety of colors and items. I hope to accomplish some of the projects in time for Christmas. Highly recommend if you love Patrick's books.